Google will release an update to the Google Maps for Android application today, on the day that Apple will release iOS 6 which removes Google Maps from the platform. The updated Maps application bring additional features that make Android users lives easier, such as syncing maps across devices so that locations searched for on a computer will transfer to your Android device so you don’t need to re-search or type in addresses multiple times. The update will go live on the Play Store shortly for all our Android using readers.

Google Maps Vice President Brian McClendon refused to discuss Apple’s removal of Google Maps directly, though he suggested that mapping “takes a long time and effort to figure out how to do [it] right.” Early reviews for the iPhone 5 went live last night, with Apple’s self-built mapping technology repeatedly identified as a weak area. Many iOS users are hoping that Google will release a standalone application of Google Maps (and Navigation) for iOS, and McClendon gave those users a bit of hope that Google Maps for iOS may be in the works. Speaking to The New York Times, McClendon stated that Google “wants to make it available to everyone.”

While we may not see Google Maps for iOS in the next few days, we expect it won’t be too long before Google offers the service to iOS users. After all, they’ve had a few months now to prepare for Apple’s decision to remove Google Maps from iOS, and the company recently released a standalone version of YouTube to the App Store after Apple removed that service from iOS as well.